The GATV Staff holds a roundtable discussion to speculate on the larger universe of the hit CW series Arrow.

Last week, we began our discussion on the future of Arrow in part two of our summer roundtable, “Looking Forward to Season 2.” While we went in-depth with the characters in that discussion, this time we’ve expanded outwards to cover the show’s broader universe.

With season 1 fresh in our minds and season 2 an (almost) clean slate in terms of spoilers right now, it’s time to think about where the show can go next. Who might we see? What surprises are in store? Who/what do we want to see? For the final part of our “Looking Forward” roundtable two-parter, we’re speculating on, hoping for and analyzing every aspect of the show we can think of. Buckle up—we not only go into our hopes for the show, but also for a larger DC TV/movie universe in general.

Note: This roundtable was done before certain new casting announcements were made.

Team GATV settled in for a lengthy discussion, as usual, and we now share that with you. As always, we welcome your comments and questions, and keep checking back with GreenArrowTV for Arrow news and upcoming Comic Con coverage!

WHICH SEASON 1 GUEST CHARACTERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MAKE A RETURN APPEARANCE?

CRAIG (Webmaster/Editor-in-Chief): Anyone but Helena. I kid. Seriously, though…Deadshot and China White for sure. Any excuse they can come up with to bring back Mr. Barrowman is welcome.ANDY (Writer at companion site KSiteTV): Until they give us a logical explanation to how he didn’t “die,” I would love to see Barrowman doing some flashback episodes in Nanda Parbat. Well, I think everyone knows that I want to see Jessica De Gouw, but she is probably going to be busy for the first part of the season with Dracula so…CRAIG: And as I mentioned before, I’d like to see Alex Kingston again as Dinah Drake Lance, Laurel’s mother. I feel like we didn’t get to really know her yet.DEREK (Writer/Reviewer): Yeah, more from Dinah would be good. Just because there is so much more potential there than what we got.ANDY: Yes, more Alex Kingston as Dinah Drake Lance and this time I want her to say one line that has “sweetie” in it.CRAIG: Veto on the sweetie. Unless it is in a scene between her and Malcolm.ANDY: That would be creepy, saying sweetie to a dead person.CRAIG: He’s John Barrowman; he cannot die.ANDY: Fine. Bring him back but just make it logical; do it in a great way that doesn’t make it simple for him to come back, because I don’t want to hear an “I escaped from the roof while Diggle wasn’t looking/wasn’t there” scenario.MATT (Writer/Reviewer): Deadshot is a total given. As is China White, even though Kelly Hu is on another series. As I mentioned before, I’d like to see both Cyrus Vanch and the Dodger back to give them a chance to grow and help the world grow more. As for the other guests, the ones I’d most like to see back became regulars for next season, so that works out well.ANDY: I would love to see China White back as well and I think we will because Kelly Hu’s new show, The 100, is on The CW so they can make it work for a few episodes. If The 100 is shot in Vancouver then it’s even better and possible.DEREK: I liked Kelly Hu a lot more in her later appearances, so yeah, I’d be down for that. I also wouldn’t mind seeing David Anders return as Cyrus Vanch just to give him more to do.STEPHANIE (Writer/Episode Guide Archivist): The aforementioned ones, plus Sarah. I want to see what her relationship with Laurel was like since we haven’t really seen that fleshed out and it would give Laurel the chance to show more sides to her character.ANDY: That is a great idea Steph. After seeing how happy and great Laurel was in the flashback episode, I would love to see that. It would be great to have a episode with all the Lance members. But hopefully we can see Laurel being that way in the present. I want to see Colin Donnell for some flashbacks as well. I still miss him and Tommy.STEPHANIE: Yes, to Tommy, but not right away. His absence needs to make an impact. Maybe a flashback for the season 2 finale.ANDY: Of course.CRAIG: Colin Donnell as Tommy’s identical twin brother Bobby Merlyn!ANDY: I do want to see him at least once or twice in the second season. And Seth Gabel as The Count. I think you kind of have to bring him back as well because of what they did with him in “Unfinished Business”. I like him so I would love to see him back.STEPHANIE: Anything for Seth Gabel.

On those we have yet to see…

WHAT DC CHARACTERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NEXT SEASON?

CRAIG: NIGHTWING! Though it’s weird I immediately go to that version of the character, when Robin would probably be more of a contemporary of Roy and Thea. I guess it’s the Bludhaven referencing.MATT: I would love to see Dick Grayson as Nightwing at some point. The tough thing about that is explaining how Batman exists in this world without a previous mention or notice. If they could bring him in, I’d like to start hearing mentions of other heroes in other cities in this universe. That would help making the world feel bigger and more real.DEREK: I think throwing in Nightwing down the line as a foil to Roy in some ways would be very cool, but I’d prefer it happening after Roy has been a Hood for a while. He could show Roy the benefits of splitting off from a mentor/boss and make him question working with Oliver. In which case, it’d be better to hold it off for a while, since Roy and Oliver have barely interacted yet.
ANDY: Agreed: I think it would be fun to see Roy meet Dick at some point but it has to be at a time when Roy has been a Hood character for a while. I just that a time will come when WB will let them use that character. We don’t even need references like Batman, Gotham or anything like that: just have Dick/Nightwing be his own character in Bludhaven. What if Helena has gone to that city to hide while trying to figure out how to fix her own life and at some point, she meets Dick who perhaps can/will help her with her problems.STEPHANIE: I don’t have any specifics to this question, but whoever shows up, I want memorable villains that don’t just come and go. Although, I think it would be cool if a crime-fighting duo blew through town and took a target away from The Hood. Something different than what the show is used to doing.CRAIG: Stephanie, I love that idea!DEREK: I like that idea too! And yes to villains who are more memorable in general.MATT: Stephanie is exactly right. There need to be arcs with villains not just the one-off appearances. I think the series got stronger when they leaned more on the serialized aspects of the larger arcs last season, and I think this would allow the villains they bring in to have greater impact.CRAIG: The original Black Canary, though maybe we’ve already seen her before (Dinah Lance). Since she mentioned him, maybe her friend Jay Garrick is over in Central City. We don’t need to see him do anything fast. Since the name has come up a lot, Hal Jordan would be cool, ring or no ring…MATT: Hal Jordan would be fun. I’d like to see Oliver and Hal strike up a friendship of some sort, even if it’s just off-hand and not a huge focus of a particular story.CRAIG: Someone on Twitter long ago suggested Justin Hartley for that role (Hal Jordan); I’d be happy with that. Then Justin can be half the Justice League.ANDY: It’s tough now because they have now introduced so many of the Green Arrow characters that I wanted to see. I would actually love to see Cheshire. If any girl shall ever come between Roy and Thea, it’s Cheshire, without doubt because her relationship with Roy is a very special one both in the comics and on Young Justice. A young Cheshire that could also eventually introduce characters such as Artemis, Sportsmaster and perhaps even do some connection to League of Shadows, unless they are already part of Nanda Parbat which would make it even more interesting if she was from there as well.ANDY: Sandra Hawke and since this actress show is about to end…Maggie Q as her.CRAIG: I wanted Maggie Q as Shado. I don’t think Sandra Hawke would be a big enough role for someone as awesome as Maggie Q.ANDY: If Shado only had a big sister…CRAIG: I think they’re going to surprise us with something beyond anything we could come up with in our roundtable discussions. I’m not saying Henry Cavill or Christian Bale will show up or anything, but I think they have something big up their sleeves. Though, as I always warn, I’ve been wrong before.ANDY: Maybe this time they could actually cast the right guy for Jay Garrick like Smallville should have: John Wesley Wesley Shipp (I believe that was Craig’s idea back at the time of “Absolute Justice”). I doubt Bale would ever show up but I could see Cavill show up if that shared universe ever happens.DEREK: I have no issue if they want to use more villains from other characters’ rouges galleries, too. Obviously not having him face off against Lex Luthor or the Joker or something, but the lesser known ones. They’ve already done that with Royal Flush Gang, because they’re typically Batman villains, right? So they’ve got a pretty big well to pull from.CRAIG: Firefly was a Batman villain, too. David Cassidy as Mirror Master! Oh wait, that’s been done before.MATT: I’d also love to see Ted Kord (Blue Beetle) and other less fantastic heroes put in appearances in some way. Hearing about Ray Palmer and Jean Loring in the flashbacks in “The Undertaking” opens up fun possibilities. Also, an appearance by Carter Hall the archaeologist before his Hawkman life (or perhaps hiding his Hawkman existence) would be cool, too.CRAIG: Wally West, Donna Troy, and Stephanie Brown are all also musts for Season 2. Kidding. And I totally forgot to mention The Question. People might initially think he’s a ripoff of Rorschach from Watchmen, but real fans know better. I’d even be down with a Question/Huntress teamup. Yes, I said it!DEREK: Oh yeah! I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about Question. Oh man, he’d be just perfect. I’d love that.ANDY: I have seen so many people suggesting The Question. I remember some of the episodes on Justice League or Justice League Unlimited when The Question was in focus and they were pretty good. In addition, I like that you suggested a Question/Huntress team-up. Maybe he can be someone that can help her out dealing with her emotions (I still can’t call her a psycho, sorry) so that could be a good team-up which could be great for the Huntress character.MATT: After the Undertaking, I would expect to see much more of groups like ARGUS.ANDY: Checkmate or even a Suicide Squad lead by Deadshot or something.CRAIG: Deadshot as part of a Suicide Squad would be amazing.ANDY: ARGUS just kind of came and went very quickly. Hope that will be brought back in some capacity in season 2.CRAIG: I still worry about ARGUS coming across as too SHIELD-y… though that, too, could tie Arrow to the movies if they wanted, with the same Amanda Waller or something like that. (It still bugs me that Amanda Waller can’t be a big older woman.)DEREK: Amanda Waller would fit in well on Arrow. And would add some diversity.ANDY: I never realized how awesome CCH Pounder would to see her being Amanda Waller. Seriously, seeing how geeky these producers are—which is awesome—I would actually be shocked if they didn’t cast her as Waller whenever she is introduced to Arrow-verse.CRAIG: CCH Pounder would be perfect for Waller, though I think if we see her on the screen in any form from now on, she’ll look more like Angela Bassett. Though, if Arrow wants to cast Freema Agyeman, who’s already in the CW family… [Laughs]. Martha Jones can join Captain Jack and River Song. But, that’s probably as likely as Karen Gillan as Barbara Gordon. The perfect Waller in my eyes, if you can’t get CCH Pounder, is sadly dead…and that’s Lorena Gale, who played Dr. Claire Foster on Smallville.ANDY: After seeing some episodes of Castle recently, I for some reason imagined Molly Quinn as Barbara.CRAIG: Might be hard to get Molly Quinn (an ABC star) onto Arrow, though. Then again, who knows, if a star from CBS’ How I Met Your Mother can possibly appear on Agents of SHIELD, anything can happen.

Let the wacky theories begin…

ANY SPECULATION ON THE IDENTITY OF THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN OR SEASON 2’S BIG BAD?

ANDY: Well there are going to be two Big Bads this season according to Guggenheim in an interview that he did with TV Guide (I think), for starters. The mysterious woman could be one of them. According to him, it will be two very familiar names from the DC Universe so that makes it more exciting. Either the woman is one of them or she is an original creation.CRAIG: I haven’t the slightest idea who the mystery woman is… and as for the two “Big Bads,” kind of the same. I think any speculation I could even suggest would be so off base, I’ll look stupid by this time next year when the season would be over and someone might re-read this.ANDY: Could the woman be China White? Think about what a twist that would be if she had been Fyers boss the whole time, and therefore connect her to the Island, like she is in Year One? Maybe that is too much of a stretch. If she isn’t, then I at least hope that one of the Big Bads will at least be a female character because I just don’t want to see male characters always being the Big Bads.STEPHANIE: I’m on board with two big bads this season, with some variety in their characters. Oliver needs to be appropriately challenged. I don’t have any speculation for their identities. I’m sure they’ll be great and surprising.ANDY: I’m sure though that the actors that will portray them will probably be faces we are familiar with, because of how geeky these awesome show-runners are.CRAIG : So, David Tennant as the Riddler and Karen Gillan as Poison Ivy, right?ANDY: A lot of people have been speculating that Ra’s al Ghul is one of them, and supposedly the man who trained Malcolm at Nanda Parbat. Malcolm is really dead, then I could see him coming after the Hood/Starling City to avenge Malcolm. I would actually be fascinated to see Arthur the Dark Archer—maybe he is another member of the Merlyn family tree who trained Malcolm. I don’t see both Ra’s and Arthur coming to the show as the Big Bads, but I definitely see one of them coming this season.DEREK: I’m not sure how I feel about Ra’s himself, but a villain in that same vein would be nice. An enigmatic trainer-type with big aspirations, not unlike Malcolm, but perhaps with more fantastical aspirations. I wouldn’t want to just see another Merlyn, though. I kind of like it being this one broken unit between Malcolm, Tommy and the dead wife. Trying to make the Merlyns into this big evil Luthor legacy would feel too familiar and take away from the weight of Malcolm’s backstory.CRAIG: I think another Merlyn is the contingency plan.ANDY: Yeah, or who knows—maybe Everyman/Dark Arrow could be serving that role, not necessarily as a big bad. According to a friend of mine who noticed this; his real name Hannibal Bates was on Oliver’s list.

While we’re on the subject of other comics’ characters…

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CW’S ARROW IN A LARGER DC UNIVERSE?

CRAIG: Whenever they introduce Nanda Parbat will be around the time they’ll let Team Arrow do a Deadman series. Not kidding. I think Andrew & Marc would be perfect for that. Although first, *ahem* Syfy needs to get off their butts and pick up Booster Gold!MATT: I would consider the Booster Gold series dead, frankly.CRAIG: I often would think so too, Matt, but whenever I rule it out, some news comes up. Andrew Kreisberg even talked about it a bit in our last interview. I’d like to see Ted Kord and have the same guy playing him in the Booster Gold show.ANDY: That would be cool if that show happens and also is allowed to share continuity. Whatever happened to that Kord logo that was going to be shown in one of the last episodes of season 1?CRAIG: Not sure if they showed it, but Ted was mentioned at least. Syfy will finally decide to do Booster Gold around the time Arrow hits Season 9. And Eric Martsolf will still be contracted to Days Of Our Lives by that time, just watch! Though if I were a betting person, I’d say it has a better chance than Amazon/Wonder Woman. But, I’ve been wrong about that one a few times, too.MATT: But SyFy isn’t talking about it. I can see the producers still trying to make it a thing.CRAIG: I think Booster Gold was originally arranged a few executives ago. I’m surprised, though: You’d think that the chance to have a show from the producers of one of TV’s ONLY true new hits this past season would be something to rush for. I honestly don’t know if Syfy’s current regime is all that interested, but what do I know about Syfy?MATT: SyFy is a part of NBCU. It’s systematic how much they don’t understand how to program properly. (Though, USA, for some reason, they get more right than not.)CRAIG: [Laughs] That too, though I think they’re trying. I do know of some pretty smart people over at Syfy. But, the NBCU factor could also be to Booster‘s detriment. Why pick up a Warner Bros. show when they could run something they own completely? Syfy may have the resources, but Warner Bros. (I think Warner Horizon, actually) would be the ones producing it and fronting the money—the only thing that Syfy could help with is if it had a higher licensing fee. Syfy is more prone to spend money on the shows they totally own, though.ANDY: Would The CW be interested?MATT: The CW has such limited real estate, unfortunately. So unless WB or CBS decide to expand their schedule, I have a hard time seeing them want to stock their entire stable with DC shows.CRAIG: I would like to think they would be, considering the producers involved, but you never really can predict what is going through a TV exec’s mind. Right now, though, Syfy has dibs. The limited real estate is also a concern, as Matt pointed out. It might be even more of one with The Tomorrow People coming on…even though it’s not based on a comic book, it’s a comic-like show, and that means we’ll have comic book type shows for 1/5 of their entire schedule already.MATT: I kind of wish the CW would go to a 7-day schedule. That way they add 4 more hours and they don’t have to worry about competing in the 10pm hour or irking their affiliates, who usually use that 10pm hour for news.DEREK: It is weird that CW has become this network that’s equally split between definitive genre shows that would not last anywhere else and then the “typical” teen stuff people attribute to it. I never know what to expect anymore. But I like that, at the same time.ANDY: I bet that Warner Bros will find a reason to cancel that project just because of that Easter egg in Man of Steel.CRAIG: Nah. If anything, it would help its case as part of the larger DC universe.ANDY: So far, I don’t see it happening: they ain’t like Marvel. Which bugs the hell out of me because if they ever do a Justice League movie, I would love to see Stephen Amell playing GA on the big screen and have a shared universe.CRAIG: If Green Arrow appears in Justice League, I think it’s pretty certain it’ll be Stephen, since he came in after the whole “DC Entertainment” thing started. I think a big thing that would have prohibited, say, Smallville people from going into the movies, beyond Welling not wanting to wear the suit, is that that show was shepherded by people and executives who just aren’t around or with the company anymore. People like to put down their own stamp. Yet, Stephen’s Arrow came in while DC Entertainment ruled the roost, and, honestly, if anyone but Stephen played Green Arrow in a movie while Arrow is on the air, there would be fits.MATT: I could see them use Stephen as GA in the DCMU, but that would also have to change the edict about no powers on Arrow. Personally, I think powers will eventually make their way into the series, down the road.

Bringing it back down to the ink and paper…

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL COMIC AND ITS FINAL CHAPTERS?

MATT: Well, following the comics, Oliver has already killed someone through his anger following Tommy’s death. That was a couple of weeks (or months?) after the Undertaking. Guessing it will be a few months after that when the season starts, so Oliver is either going to still be struggling with his anger, or picking himself up at that point and moving forward with far different expectations.ANDY: I think, first of all, that those two final chapters were the most emotional ones so far in the Season 1 (Digital Season) of Arrow because of what happened in “Sacrifice”. I haven’t been disappointed with the book so far, other than the few times when I wish that some of the things that happened in the comic, would at least be referenced in some capacity on the show.DEREK: Something I found surprising about the final chapters was that Moira was noted to be on “suicide watch.” That was unexpected, for me. Not out of character at all, but pretty shocking. Very dark.MATT: Yeah, I wouldn’t expect Moira to be on suicide watch just from being part of the group setting up the Undertaking. That the event actually took place, I can see how that would drive Moira to despair.STEPHANIE: I thought Moira being on suicide watch was possibly out of character, or maybe it’s me being naive. She saw how poorly Thea reacted to her father’s and brother’s “deaths,” so I guess I am just hoping that Moira wouldn’t put her through that again.DEREK: The comic also made worry more about Thea’s state. She runs to Oliver for support, and he up and leaves. This isn’t going to end well. I’m hoping, like we’d mentioned before, with Roy in her life she’ll go in a different direction than the last time her brother left.ANDY: One of the few things that bothered me in those chapters was that Roy wasn’t referenced because I’m worry about his living conditions right now. I’m sure he is fine but still.MATT: Agreed.ANDY: I’m worried for Thea as well, which is why I hope that Diggle is keeping an eye on her or that he called Walter and told him that Thea needs someone to look after her right now.CRAIG: I’ve been buying the print issues so I’ve been a little behind on the stories most of the time. To be honest, it doesn’t excite me as much as, say, Smallville:Season 11 because I feel like I can get most of my Arrow continuity on TV. However, I do think it’s a wonderful way to fill in some blanks and build the universe, and there have been some good stories and artwork within.STEPHANIE: The tie-in comics haven’t excited me to the point where I am rushing to buy the new one each week; I even fell behind during the season. The ones I’ve read have been entertaining enough and I’ve liked the characters’ backgrounds, but the stories told in them feel kind of disconnected from the show because they are supplemental.CRAIG: I finally did read the final chapters and I liked them. Although, again, and this is a problem I’ve had with other TV shows and extended media as well: These are the kinds of stories I would actually like to see on the screen.DEREK: I’ve only read the first and last few chapters of the comic. I might go back and pick up trades later on just for the sake of collecting. I’ve heard some good things about the Malcolm and Deadshot chapters.ANDY: The one chapter that I can think of that I wish we would have seen completely on the screen is the Malcolm chapter.CRAIG: I’m one of those nerds who mostly counts only what is said or seen on the show itself, though with the producers and writers of Arrow being behind the comics, I know it does “count.” I guess it’s a nice bonus to tide us over, and I guess we are to assume, when Season 2 picks up, that Oliver went… somewhere. Hopefully not Metropolis this summer, because I don’t think that’s a very habitable place these days.DEREK: I can see where the premiere will play out, though. The stuff in the final chapters of the comics aren’t necessarily things you need to see on screen. People who haven’t read them (which I’m sure will be many) would be able to infer that Oliver ran away, and Laurel was miserable, etc.MATT: I think they have an interesting opportunity to do things in the comics that hasn’t been fully realized yet. I think the tough thing for them is that they can’t do anything too substantial in the comics because not all of the viewing audience is buying them. I do wish they had a bit more heft to them, though. The stand out ones to me were the one that reveals how Moira found the Queen’s Gambit and why she kept it in the warehouse; the Quentin backstory one; the explanation of how Oliver got the plane to parachute into Bludhaven to rescue Walter; and the final two chapters of the season.ANDY: Roy Harper recently had a chapter that focused on him. It’s not a huge thing, but it does give us some good stuff on his background.It focused on how he got his red hood and a personal moment in his life when he was on his way of fixing his life a bit.MATT: Oh yeah. That was a good one, too.ANDY: It’s a good companion piece to the show, and I know that some of the stories that we get in the comic is probably worth too much of the TV Budget money (including locations, extras and so on) so that is why I’m mostly OK with not seeing everything on the screen. But they could at least take the time and write in some dialogue that references a few of those events. Dialogue doesn’t cost anything!CRAIG: I do notice that at least the print sales of the Arrow comic are fairly low, even in comparison to the monthly Smallville comics. I hope that doesn’t mean trouble for the Arrow tie-ins.I haven’t really seen a lot of people discussing it in the way people talk about the Smallville comics, either, though maybe I’m not looking in the right places.MATT: I wonder what the digital sales are like. I could see them forgoing the print versions and sticking strictly to the digital chapters.CRAIG: That would be unfortunate for someone like me who is still an old fart preferring print copies, though I’d completely understand.MATT: See, I could see this being just a digital release and also a supplemental aspect of the DVD/BD sets.STEPHANIE: I hope they continue to do the comics in print because I like reading physical copies. Regardless, there’s a lot of potential for these comics to tell interesting stories. I think it’s kind of cool that a series based on a comic has its own comics.ANDY: I hope—and think—that they will do a big volume that contains the whole first season of Arrow: the comic, similar to what Smallville does later in the year when certain episodes has concluded (Guardian, Detective, etc).CRAIG: I’m sure they’d do smaller collections, but a big Omnibus collection of the 36 chapters that tied in to Season 1 would be fantastic.ANDY: Indeed.DEREK: I think my issue with a lot of comic tie-ins is that you can never tell stories that feel terribly substantial. Or if they are, they feel disingenuous, because any “big” ones would be told on screen. You either feel like you have to read them, or you don’t. They’re nice for hardcore completionists, but you aren’t going to get many people to pick them up. But at the same time, one of the things I’d like Arrow as a TV show to do is explore some of the supporting characters’ backstories and such, which is exactly what the comic is doing. So I’m conflicted.MATT: The thing that’s really great about this particular comic is that the showrunners are intimately involved with it; I have yet to see one that wasn’t written by the show’s writing staff. So, even though we get some tangential material like Oliver going off to China or Russia, it’s still of a piece with the show.

And finally…

ANY OTHER COMMENTS/REMARKS YOU’D LIKE TO ADD ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ARROW THAT HAVEN’T BEEN ADDRESSED?

CRAIG: I’d just like to say what has sort of been said before: As much as people seemed to like Season 1, I think Season 2 will be even better. I’m excited.MATT: That’s the exciting thing. This was only a first season. Imagine what a second season could be after what they’ve accomplished.ANDY: I have nothing else to say other than that I’m really psyched for this second season, especially with Comic-Con around the corner which will give us a lot more details about what is in store for the fans. Season 1 was fantastic and like Craig said, Season 2 is going to be even greater. I hope writers such as Bryan Q. Miller and Geoff Johns will come back and write one or two episodes. Since I’m currently reading Kevin Smith’s run on Green Arrow—which is fantastic so far—I would love to see him write an episode of Arrow, although I get that he might be expensive to get for one episode.MATT: I guess my big question is how big/long is the transition to hero arc going to be. Is it something that will take all of season 2 but only season 2? Or will it be more gradual over the next few seasons?ANDY: I would like to see the size/length of that transition be done realistically—not too quick but not too late either. Everything has its place and because this will be Oliver’s second year as the Arrow, I believe that it will be focused for a long time in season 2.DEREK: Season 2 tends to be a “make it or break it” season for shows, but considering how the first season developed, I’m going to lean on it flourishing. I’m hoping we’ll see its audience grow thanks to positive buzz—it’s popular on CW, but there are plenty of genre fans who didn’t give it a fair shot or left after the early ones. There’s potential for this to break out as one of the genre greats, beyond its success now. I think season 2 will be telling for where it’s going to end up.MATT: We’ll see how the response at Comic-Con is, and how much buzz season 2 gets coming out of that.STEPHANIE: I’m looking forward to all the surprises in season two and more familiar-faced guest stars. I think the writers will do wonderful. Based on the season one improvement, it deserves positive buzz. Whether now or later down the line, I hope Arrow doesn’t become or get pigeonholed as a “CW show” for only a young audience looking for drama because its potential far surpasses that.DEREK: Yeah, it’s easy to see shades of “typical CW” here and there, but it’s been quite well-balanced with keeping those elements for that audience while still letting it feel like a very un-CW show. There are lots of unnaturally beautiful people, but they’re well-cast and have talent. There are soapy elements, but they play into the larger story arc and infer the characters. Best of both worlds.ANDY: I have to say that The CW doesn’t feel like the typical CW that we had a few years ago. With shows like The Tomorrow People, The 100 and more coming this fall, I think The CW has realy been re-shaping itself, which is good. I think Arrow has been part of that since it started, because it’s one of the most different shows that they have ever had.CRAIG: Some of the folks who have done stunts for Arrow are also doing Tomorrow People, too, so people expecting and liking that brand of action will get more of that stuff they like.MATT: It’s funny how the CW has gone more genre when genre stuff all but wilts and dies on the other networks.CRAIG: Wednesdays will offer a unique promotional opportunity with two hours of Amells, and I think Tomorrow People will do as well with Arrow as Supernatural had. It might be the start of another successful night for the network. Slowly but surely, they’re coming together.

And that’s it!

Hope you enjoyed our summer roundtable series as much as we did discussing it. Next week, GreenArrowTV heads to San Diego Comic Con to get the scoop on what’s coming up (and will probably already prove much of our speculation moot.) Either way, Team GATV appreciates you spending some time with us.

As always, feel free to share with us any questions, requests, or insights of you own in the comments section below. You’re also all welcome to throw in your Arrow thoughts on our Arrow forum!

Derek B. Gayle

Derek B. Gayle is a Virginia native with a BS in English, Journalism and Film from Randolph-Macon College. In addition to being an avid Power Rangers and genre TV fanatic, he also currently co-produces, writes and performs in local theatre, and critically reviews old kids' cartoons. You can check out his portfolio here.